


everything stays, but it still changes

by orphan_account



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Character Study, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, IM JUST REALLY SOFT FOR LADYNOIR, Injury, Ladynoir | Adrien Agreste as Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng as Ladybug, No Dialogue, Not Canon Compliant, garbage agreste is only mentioned but i feel it necessary to say, its a lil saucy and theres a bit of akuma violence thats why its t for teen, only like... a few years tho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:00:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24157021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Marinette realizes some things in five steps
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 6
Kudos: 75





	everything stays, but it still changes

i.

It's a late autumn night. Marinette was never especially fond of the cold, but if being Ladybug had changed anything about her, it's that somehow her malcontent turned to hatred. Her bones ached more often, she slept in more, and couldn't go outside for more than ten minutes without a heavy coat on, even on the warmer days. She was thankful the suit made it easier to deal with, otherwise she'd be screwed for sure. Even more so, she was thankful for Chat Noir. Marinette could easily fall asleep to the rhythmic rumbling in her partner's chest, curled up under his arms.

Tikki told her it was some kind of soulmate thing; that ladybugs and black cats always had that complementary affinity. He was the yang to her yin, representing the flamboyant, striking passion of the sun in everything he did. She, in contrast, was yielding and composed; soft like the moon. At least, that's what Tikki said.

Marinette couldn't help but be encouraged by the thought, however. Someone who matched her strengths in every way, and one who complimented her flaws. He wasn't afraid to humble her, not because he believed that he was right, just that he cared enough to let her know she was wrong. Somehow that mangy cat knew exactly what to say and how, and when.

To know Chat Noir would be there when she needed him, in whatever way she needed him, was a comforting idea.

ii.

After fighting akumas for so long, Marinette almost lost track of time. Living less "day to day" and more "battle to battle" was probably bad for her health, but she blamed Le Papillon for her problems, like all citizens of Paris did. Two years had passed. The more she thought about it, the more she questioned Master's decision to hire two (presumably) thirteen year olds to save Paris from imminent threats, not knowing these battles would turn into a war after a year of no progress. They'd matured a lot since then, though. She wasn't worried.

And speaking of maturing.

She hadn't noticed before, but she had to admit puberty was very kind to Chat. The twiggy blonde tween she first met had grown a lot in two years.

A light stubble covered his jawline, which was more squared than before, but still round, which reminded her that this was Chat Noir and not a supermodel wearing his mask. His hair was cut shorter, closer to his scalp, allowing a peek at the rounded ears,  _ human _ ears, that were cloaked underneath. She couldn't help but admire the shimmering green in his eyes, after seeing for herself that it  _ was  _ his natural eye color when he borrowed her earrings that one time, and not just a side effect of the ring he usually wore. It was almost like the Miraculous was made especially for him.

Chat's body had toned a lot over their time together, too. He filled out rather well; broad shoulders, a sharp collarbone, and long legs. He was at least a whole head taller than her, now (not that Marinette didn't already know that, no thanks to that tomcat's bragging). She didn't know the long-term effects of Miraculous use, but she'd swear up and down his canine teeth have grown sharper as well, putting a devilish spin on the cocky smirk he loved to flash so much. The skin tight nature of their suits didn't leave much up to the imagination, either…

Marinette would never admit that she's been caught staring at him from time to time.

iii.

Chat Noir has always been someone to take things to the absolute extreme. "Moderately" wasn't a word that he knew and not one he cared for, apparently. He did reckless things for the sake of making as grand of a gesture out of it as possible. Sometimes, that wasn't even the  _ half _ of it.

Which, if you asked Marinette, was one of the things she both loved and hated about him.

In a way it was charming. Chat would make a scene just to set his own stage, not caring what others would say about it. He marched to the beat of his own drum. For such a sneaky little thing, he certainly loved the limelight a lot.

But Chat was also unrealistically eager to please. Eager to impress. Too eager.

She learned that the hard way when, during a particularly intense battle, he'd taken a heavy blow to the chest in order to protect her. Marinette had felt it anyways. He had only said, with a raspy voice that scared her, that she was worth protecting. That it didn't matter that he'd been hurt, only that she was okay. Marinette purified the akuma and cast her cure, fixing his bruised ribs, but not her own broken heart. 

Marinette didn't let go of him until her last spot had almost run out, and their promise of secrecy had torn them apart.

iv.

Marinette had known for a while now that fate had never been very kind to Chat Noir, so it wasn't a surprise when she spotted him perched on a rooftop overlooking La Seine with a distant look in his eye, on  _ her _ turn to patrol. Likewise, he wasn't surprised when she landed next to him and made herself comfortable.

Unprompted, he explained vaguely. Another night of constant barrages from his father, citing each and every failure. Marinette only listened, leaned into him, wrapped an arm around his waist. It was all she  _ could _ do, and that thought made her sick. She wasn't sure when he started crying.

Seeing _Chat Noir_ —her _partner_ and Paris' resident casanova—so small and frail filled Marinette with a different, _dangerous_ feeling. A tight, ever-growing pain in her chest that jumped into her throat. That urged her to cause as much harm as legally possible to anyone who _dared_ to hurt her chaton.

But Marinette couldn't do much else than be there, next to him, running a hand through his golden hair right behind his ear and telling him it would be okay.

She wasn't sure either of them believed it.

v.

It was at this point she had to admit she grew attached. Adrien appeared in her dreams less and less, replaced by another boy with golden hair and emerald eyes.

(Did she have a type?)

Yet even she knew that was a bad idea. With their nemesis still at large, they couldn't afford to show any weakness, or risk a secret getting exposed. Because Papillon was ruthless as he was cunning; they both knew that.

That didn't stop her from longing. Didn't stop the long nights spent staring at the moon and wondering if he would even believe that she really loved him, after three years of turning up her nose. Missed opportunities played themselves constantly in her head, over and over she remembered the times she could have said "I love you, too" and never did, because she foolishly told herself it wasn't true.

When Chat Noir showed up for patrol on a wispy summer evening with a glint in his eye and a toothy grin, he told her he loved the way her eyes looked in the dying sun.

She told him the hues complimented his eyes better. Marinette laughed when his face turned as red as the sky before them.

Somewhere deep in her heart, Marinette was content. Things were tricky right now, sure, and laughing at an uncharacteristically flustered Chat Noir would outlast its novelty. But things weren't like they were before. For the first time in a while, she wasn't scared. Wasn't worried. Because Chat Noir would always be there for her, just like she would be there for him.

**Author's Note:**

> this has been sitting in my drafts for months and i finally got it to the point where i feel ok posting it lol. kinda wanted it to be longer but if i mess with this any more its gonna collapse like a jenga tower


End file.
